I think the focus to reduce CO2 to control the climate (and this is being questioned now by the solar cycle theory) we should not forget the current human beings who need electricity to survive and live a good life.

From HBR:

The greater a country’s electricity consumption, the greater the well-being of its people. Electricity doesn’t cause well- being, of course. But it is a powerful enabler. When people have lights that allow them to study and work after dark, refrigeration to keep foods and medicine fresh, pumps and purifiers to irrigate farmland and produce safe drinking water, and cell phones and computers to connect them with commercial, educational, and health care resources, they can more fully participate in the social and economic activities that drive human development.
A little electricity goes a long way. Note that when annual consumption rises from 0 to just a few thousand kilowatt hours per capita, countries move near the top of the HDI scale. Argentina, with per capita consumption of about 2,500 kWh, has an HDI score approaching that of Canada, whose consumption is seven times higher.

As scientists struggle to predict exactly how global climate change will affect our environment, economists are grappling with another question: How well can humans adapt?

Judging from the history of wheat production in North America, the answer is very well, says Paul Rhode of the University of Michigan. In a paper done together with Alan Olmstead of the University of California-Davis, which he presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Economic Association, Mr. Rhode looks at how wheat production fared between the mid-1800s and the late 1900s, as production moved into parts of North America with harsher climates. The conclusion: Production adapted successfully as farmers introduced new strains that grew well in the new climates.

“We’ve been there and done that in terms of adjusting wheat production to new climates,” he said.

via Economists Ponder Human Adaptation to Climate Change – Real Time Economics – WSJ.

This is one example of wheat production in North America but what is relevant is that adaptation is possible and may be more important to concentrate than anything else for the next century.

Not that it should be a surprise. By comparison to the 21,000 Copenhagen observers,last week’s comparable World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference in Geneva only attracted 500 observers who were broadly committed to securing an inter-national trade deal to promote poverty-alleviating free trade.

The irony is that if there were as many people who cared about cutting poverty, the world’s poor would be better able to adapt to the consequences of climate change and there’d also be the economic resources to cut emissions and deliver a binding agreement at Copenhagen.

via It’s the poor who will pay for Copenhagen’s circus | The Australian.

External affairs minister S M Krishna told world leaders that India continued to face enormous developmental challenges and poverty eradication remains the nation’s top priority.

“Nearly 200 millions live on less than one dollar a day and nearly 500 millions do not have access to modern sources of energy,” he said.

“Our overriding priority, therefore, has to be eradication of poverty for which we must address our energy poverty and use all sources of energy, including fossil fuels,” he added.

Via Times of India

A great statement from the minister. The numbers are mind boggling in terms of the sheer size of the problem.

My driver was a bit confused about my excitement exploring and photographing the whole operation, given there was also a stunning sunset happening over the lake that I was mostly ignoring. Maybe my electric car series for TechTicker is making me into a cleantech nerd, but there are so many things to like about the potential of this project. First off, the rarity of an emerging country fueling its ascendancy into the modern age with cleantech is enough to make Al Gore swoon. But the idea that a potentially life-threatening exploding lake could prove a low-cost solution for the landlocked country and even a new cash-generating natural resource is an apt metaphor for Rwanda’s ability to rebuild itself so admirably in the aftermath of one of the ugliest chapters in modern world history.

As an urban Indian, I will vote for a party that promotes the values that matter to my country, my family, and me. I address this open letter to the political parties who seek my vote in the upcoming elections. Drop me a line if you can credibly demonstrate that you share the concerns and values that we have.

Here are my concerns.

1. Economic freedom.

* I want a government which generally leaves us alone. I don’t want a government that interferes in every aspect of our economic lives.
* I want a government that does not excessively tax my hard-earned money to fund wasteful expenditures.
* By chaining the economy, the government controls it to profit from it at the expense of the citizens. I want the government to liberalize the economy.

2. Personal freedom.

* I want a government that respects me as a citizen and not as a member of some religious, caste, linguistic, or vote bank group. I want to be treated equally and not discriminated against for whatever reasons.
* I want a government that does not dictate to me how I should live my life.

3. Education matters.

* I want my children to be educated. Government control of the education sector has crippled the system to the point that only the extremely wealthy can afford decent schooling. I want the government to get out of the education sector.
* I want a good education for my children because it is the only guarantee of success in an intensely competitive globalized world of today and the future.

4. Good governance.

* I see unimaginable corruption at all levels of government. Criminals routinely contest and win elections. I am not going to tolerate corruption any more. I will reject all parties that put up criminals as their candidates.
* I want the government to stick to the core functions and do them well. Primarily, I want the government to be responsible for internal security and I will hold the government accountable for the any lapses in security.

That’s all. I am not interested in GDP growth projections, on how by 2014 or whenever what is going to happen or not. I am not interested in empty promises about how India will become this or that superpower. I am quite capable of working hard and creating my own destiny.

I just want that the government do its job and I will do my bit. But I will not vote for any party that does not share my values and my concerns.

What is interesting is how Atanu has nailed down to the basics. Once these are provided then the people can create their own destiny. These are the “public good” stuff which the government needs to do.

The Prime Minister weeps on television at the tragedy of Saturday’s events. He looks around uncomprehendingly, unable to find words, unable to find meaning.

But there are words. There is meaning. This is climate change. This is what the scientists told us would happen. All the climatic events of the past 10 years have been leading inexorably to this.

Yet this is just the beginning, the beginning of something that will truly, if unaddressed, overwhelm us.

As the events of Saturday showed, the consequences of climate change will make the financial crisis look like a garden party.

But there is a synchronicity here that must not be missed. The extraordinary economic measures for which the financial crisis is calling provide a perfect opportunity to fund the energy revolution for which the crisis of climate change is calling.

If the Government does not seize this opportunity, if it persists in its self-serving refusal to name the truths of climate change, then the terrifying world into which we were plunged, momentarily, on Saturday, will become the world that we will have to inhabit.

There is an opportunity here to think about the future of Australia and how the stimulus package can create jobs in Australia in the areas which can help solve climate change issues.

Depending on the technologies, if not directly, helping with the issues at home, it will be a good export market and will help other countries.

I’m glad that many Americans are repulsed by the idea of importing products made by barely paid, barely legal workers in dangerous factories. Yet sweatshops are only a symptom of poverty, not a cause, and banning them closes off one route out of poverty. At a time of tremendous economic distress and protectionist pressures, there’s a special danger that tighter labor standards will be used as an excuse to curb trade.

When I defend sweatshops, people always ask me: But would you want to work in a sweatshop? No, of course not. But I would want even less to pull a rickshaw. In the hierarchy of jobs in poor countries, sweltering at a sewing machine isn’t the bottom.

[...]

Among people who work in development, many strongly believe (but few dare say very loudly) that one of the best hopes for the poorest countries would be to build their manufacturing industries. But global campaigns against sweatshops make that less likely.

Look, I know that Americans have a hard time accepting that sweatshops can help people. But take it from 13-year-old Neuo Chanthou, who earns a bit less than $1 a day scavenging in the dump. She’s wearing a “Playboy” shirt and hat that she found amid the filth, and she worries about her sister, who lost part of her hand when a garbage truck ran over her.

“It’s dirty, hot and smelly here,” she said wistfully. “A factory is better.”

via Op-Ed Columnist – Where Sweatshops Are a Dream – NYTimes.com.

Building a home is fundamental to human existence. More importantly, living in a good community is critical to a satisfied life.

We know that construction is not eco friendly and a home or a house is a highly resource intensive activity in terms of energy, water, waste, land degradation etc.

How do we get both of these things together in a sustainable way.

Greenedge Ethical believes that it has found a way to do this. Starting with their pilot eco-village called Somerville they have now working towards a replicable model of eco-village where the the community is self sufficient in energy, water and manages its waste a sustainable way.

Greenedge is a Perth, Australia based company which will be raising $12m in a IPO closing November 12th on the Australian Stock Exchange. It will use this to create a market for eco villages, targeting the right customers and helping them build their homes in a sustainable community.

They are in a way property developers who have a ecological model of development. More importantly for me they make this happen with a business model in hand.

I talked to Alex Hyndman from Greenedge and he mentioned an interesting model where they license their model and knowledge with any interested property developer and helping them build an eco community.

I think these guys have a great opportunity to be successful here. If they can figure out a way to create their eco-villages faster, sustainable and at a reasonable cost to normal development model then they have a winning combination.

The cost of food: Facts and figures
Explore the facts and figures behind the rising price of food across the globe.

Line graphs showing rising food prices 2005-07 and price rises by food type, 2007

Graphic illustrating price rises in corn, rice, soya and wheat

As biofuels get the blame, the BBC provides a FAQ which provides some analyses into the real causes.

What are the main causes?

The first reason why prices are rising is growth in the world’s population, which is expected to top nine billion by the middle of the century.

That is an incredible number of mouths to feed and will put pressure on a range of resources, including land, water and oil, as well as food supply.

But lurking behind the headline figures for population is an even more significant factor pushing up prices, and that’s the economic miracle driving emerging economies such China and India.

To put it bluntly, rich people eat more than poor people, and all this economic growth is generating a whole new tier of middle-class consumers who buy more meat and processed food.

The FAO estimates that processed food now accounts for 80% of food and beverage sales.

What other factors are involved?

There is also the added environmental pressure all these extra people are loading onto the planet, as well as the impact of climate change.

Desertification is accelerating in China and sub-Saharan Africa, while more frequent flooding and changing patterns of rainfall are already beginning to have a significant impact on agricultural production.

And global warming has played a significant role in another driver of rising prices: the shift in agricultural production from food to biofuels.

Ethanol production is on course to account for some 30% of the US corn crop by 2010, dramatically curtailing the amount of land available for food crops and pushing up the price of corn flour on international commodity markets.

So what is happening in India? The report argues that the real issue is the purchasing power of the poor and farm productivity.

There has never been an acute shortage of food in India, not even during the infamous famine in Bengal in 1943 in which more than 1.5 million people are estimated to have died of starvation.

The problem then – and now – is entitlement or access to food at affordable prices.

Given the low purchasing power of India’s poor, even a small increase in food prices contributes to a sharp fall in real incomes.

The current crisis in Indian agriculture is a consequence of many factors – low rise in farm productivity, unremunerative prices for cultivators, poor food storage facilities resulting in high levels of wastage.